PHILLIES: Adams' first outing goes smoothly

CLEARWATER, Fla. — As far as Phillies coming off surgeries go, Mike Adams is kind of boring — no setbacks, no easing into it. He hasn’t even complained about scar tissue tearing.

After throwing free and easy on the side since arriving in camp, the Phils’ setup reliever made his first Grapefruit League appearance in Thursday’s 10-5 win over the Braves at Bright House Field and worked a smooth fourth inning, getting a pair of groundouts and a strikeout.

You’d never think the guy had a rib sawed out of him so his pitching arm would stop losing circulation and strength.

Advertisement

“Everything has felt fine since three weeks after surgery,” Adams said. “To me, it’s not a big shock how I feel. I’m more excited about it than anything.”

When Adams, 34, has been healthy, he has been one of the top eighth-inning relievers in the game over the last five years. From 2008-11 he had a 1.71 ERA in 236 games and averaged more strikeouts (9.9) per nine innings than hits and walks (8.1).

The eighth inning was a nightmare for the Phillies last season. They allowed more runs (93) in that frame than any other, and the 80 walks they issued in the eighth was nearly double the amount allowed in any other inning.

They want Adams to solve that problem, and it seems he’s physically ready to give it his best shot.

“I know what happened last year with the eighth inning,” Adams said. “I’m looking forward to it. This is something I love to do. I love my role in the eighth inning and being considered one of the better setup guys in the game. I’d rather be one of the best setup men in the game than the No. 15 closer in the game. I like the fact I have that role.”

***

There might not be a more intriguing team than Atlanta entering this season, what with acquiring both Justin and B.J. Upton, and adding their big-swing bats, to a lineup already full of homerun hitters like Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann.

Then there’s the most intriguing guy on the most intriguing team: Evan Gattis.

The 6-3, 245-pound catcher/outfielder spent three years out of baseball and basically wandering around the Western half of the country. He returned to the game at Division II Texas-Permian Basin in 2009, was drafted in 2010 by the Braves and after progressing well through Atlanta’s system went to the Venezuelan Winter League and became something of a folk hero, mashing 16 homers in 195 at-bats for Zulia, many of them tape-measure jobs. Gattis doesn’t use batting gloves and he puts his giant frame in a wide, crouching stance. Fans in Venezuela nicknamed him “Oso Blanco”— the White Bear.

Freddy Galvis and Ender Inciarte were teammates of Gattis’ in Venezuela. They don’t think Gattis is some flashinthepan.

“He just grabs the bat and hits the ball,” Galvis said. “He’s a great guy. He hits for average, he hits homers. When he first showed up, those first couple of games people were like, ‘Who is this guy?’ His batting stance is a little ugly. But then he started hitting the ball and everyone loved it.”

“To me, he’s the real deal,” Inciarte said. “He has a lot of pop. He can hit the ball far over the fence. I think he’s going to hit home runs anywhere he goes.”

The Braves are without McCann at the moment, which is giving Gattis a chance to see if he can earn a job behind the plate. After hitting some epic homers in batting practice, he went 1for3 against the Phils and is hitting .462 with two homers in the Grapefruit League.

Galvis and Inciarte both were unaware of Gattis’ odd tale of leaving the sport.

“That’s unbelievable,” Galvis said when told about it. “He was born to hit the ball.”

***

Darin Ruf ended an 0-for-10 start to the spring with a single in his second at-bat, then doubled off Braves closer Craig Kimbrel. But before getting those first two hits, he committed his second error of spring in left field, badly misplaying a single by Ramiro Pena and giving the Braves an unearned run.

Cole Hamels was the victim of Ruf’s fielding gaffe, which threw a minor wrench in an other dominating performance by the guy likely to start the Phils’ season-opener in Atlanta a month from now.

“He’s doing everything he can to learn the position and it obviously takes time,” Hamels said of Ruf, who had been exclusively a first baseman before being moved to left field late in the season for Double-A Reading. “I don’t think I can do it, so I’m not going to critique him. He definitely has the work ethic and character to get out there and try to improve.”

NOTES: Ben Revere had two hits and two runs hitting leadoff, while Jimmy Rollins batted second. It’s a lineup Manuel said he’ll try at times this spring ... Galvis and Chase Utley also had two hits, while John Mayberry hit his first homer. ... Cliff Lee will start Friday against the Yankees in Tampa. ... Rollins (USA), Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and Pete Orr (Canada) will see their last action with the Phils before heading to play in the World Baseball Classic.